17. Callie
Callie
“I’m so sorry I can’t stay tonight.” Tessa fluffed her curls and grinned at me.
“Vaughn and I are dressing up as vampires and watching Twilight. He promised me an orgasm for every time Bella mentions how aggressively normal she is. I won’t be able to walk tomorrow but it’s going to be fucking great tonight! ”
I nearly dropped the stack of papers I was holding. “What?!”
She winked. “I do love my husband. Good luck tonight. Love you!”
I almost reached out to grab her out of desperation.
I wasn’t ready to lead another meeting about the play.
My hands were still shaking from the intense moment I’d shared with Luke and the idea of facing him again just made me even more awkward.
I knew I was going to blow it. I’d been overthinking it all day and without Tessa there to cheer me on I was afraid I was doomed.
“Ah, good. I’ve caught you, Miss Morgan.” Darren strolled into the conference room and stopped only when he was entirely too close to me. “Did you not see my email? I emailed you to ask for an itinerary for the meeting.”
I tried to subtly move away. “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy all day and haven’t had time to check my email. I’m actually just trying to organize before the-”
“I expect you to reply to my emails within the hour that I send them.” He was practically hovering over me by that point, with his hand on the table next to mine, blocking me in. “You’ve become much more insubordinate this year, Miss Morgan. Are you feeling…stifled…at home?”
I might not have noticed the real meaning behind his words if I hadn’t looked up just as a teasing grin touched his lips. The disgust seeped into my bones it went so deep. I looked away and tried not to show my true feelings. “I’ll do my best to check my emails and reply in a timely manner.”
His shoulder brushed against mine and a gust of his hot breath washed over my face. “Make sure that you do.”
I felt like my face should’ve actually been green I was so nauseous. “Could you give me some space? I’m feeling a little under the weather and I’d hate to get you sick.”
I almost let out a relieved breath when I noticed a few moms coming in but then I saw their eyes narrow instantly and watched as they leaned into each other and started whispering.
Anyone with even half a braincell could’ve seen that they were already talking shit about why Darren was so close to me.
“A man like me? My immune system is just as buff as me, Miss Morgan.” He’d lowered his voice even more so it was like we were sharing a very intimate moment. “I really think you should rethink involving parent volunteers in this. I’d be able to be much more hands on if the parents weren’t here.”
I could feel the backs of my eyes starting to burn.
Feeling more and more trapped, I kept my eyes on my papers and tried to think of how to respond in a way that would make him leave.
Before I could, a shadow fell over our side of the table.
When I looked up, I saw it was Cole and his eyes were two burning orbs glued to Darren.
Darren clearly had no lizard brain sense of predator and prey because he didn’t notice Cole hovering over him. “So? What do you say to bringing it back to a staff only production?”
Even with me staring over his shoulder he didn’t notice Cole.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t take my eyes off the big man.
His face was twisted with barely contained rage and I felt like I could hear his teeth grinding together.
He was a hair’s width from touching Darren but he held his body perfectly still, the control he possessed on full display.
I stammered as I answered, so caught off guard by Cole appearing. Caught off guard and incredibly attracted to him. “Um… I think that, um, the parents b-bring a lot to the table…”
The conference room had been filling all the while and the silence in the room that felt like a held breath was what finally clued Darren in. He stood up, bumped into Cole’s chest, and flinched when he glanced back and saw Cole’s face. “Mr. Ramirez? C-Can I help you with something?”
To my shock, Cole leaned even closer until his face was hovering next to Darren’s head. “I just thought this was how we were standing next to people now.”
Instead of glaring at Cole or fighting back, Darren twisted around to glare at me, like I’d summoned Cole. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”
Cole roughly patted Darren’s shoulder. “Just remember personal space, Principal Darren. You’ve got to be the example for these kids, right?”
I stood there, still in shock, as Darren left.
The room was still quiet but I could hear the whispers starting back up.
I doubted anyone knew what to think about the interaction between Cole and Darren.
Least of all me. The only thing I knew for sure was that as turned off as I’d been for Darren, I was just as turned on for Cole.
His ice-blue eyes were on me then, just as focused and intense. He stepped closer but still left a decent amount of space between us, a space that I wanted to close before climbing him, and spoke under his breath. “You okay?”
Oh, god. What was it about that fucking question that triggered crying?
I turned so my back was to the rest of the room and squeezed my eyes shut to try and halt the stupid tears.
It was stupid. I had no reason to cry. Darren hadn’t done anything that I could report him for but it still made me feel sick to my stomach.
A part of me was so nervous that Darren was going to cross the line one day and I’d be forced to do something about it.
I knew from my past that I typically froze when it was time to act.
If he got bold enough to ask me out one day I wasn’t sure what I’d say.
Beyond no. I hated awkward conversations and rejecting people.
I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
I especially didn’t want to hurt my boss’s feelings when he already seemed trigger happy to fire me.
“I’ll kill him for you. Just say the word.”
I gasped and looked up at Cole, horror written all over my face, just to see him flashing a devastating smile at me, revealing the secret dimples that rarely showed.
As fast as that smile appeared it vanished, leaving me feeling bereft.
I blinked and looked away, still rocked but more in control of my emotions than before. “Thank you.”
He lifted his hand like he was going to touch me and let out a grunt before dropping it and walking to his seat.
I took another few seconds to compose myself and then turned to face the room.
It was full of parents looking at me with varying degrees of concern on judgement but Luke’s hard gaze drew my attention the most. He nodded at the papers in my hand and raised an eyebrow at me.
I could practically hear him telling me to get my shit together and stick to the plan he’d help me make.
I took a deep breath and pushed my shoulders back. “Okay, so on the agenda first today is…”